Baked Stuffed Apples with Honey-Mascarpone

Prep: 25 minutes plus cooling
Bake: 55 minutes • Serves: 6

1. Preheat oven to 350°. In large skillet, toast walnuts over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes or until fragrant, stirring occasionally; transfer to plate to cool.

2. In medium bowl, combine dates, apricots, lemon juice and zest, cinnamon and nutmeg; stir in oats and walnuts. Core apples; peel skin from top one-third of each apple with vegetable peeler. With small spoon or paring knife, widen the core opening of each apple to hold more filling. Place apples in single layer in glass or ceramic baking dish; tightly fill apples with filling, mounding any extra filling on top.

3. Evenly sprinkle apples with sugar and dot with butter; pour cider into bottom of dish. Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil; bake 25 minutes. Remove foil; baste apples with juices and bake 30 to 35 minutes longer or until apples are tender and golden brown. Cool apples 15 minutes in pan on wire rack.

4. Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir mascarpone and honey until just combined. Serve apples warm with pan juices spooned over the top; with a dollop of Honey-Mascarpone and a sprinkle of brown sugar.

Approximate nutritional values per serving:
550 Calories, 32g Fat (17g Saturated), 90mg Cholesterol,
30mg Sodium, 62g Carbohydrates, 7g Fiber, 2g Protein

Dietitian’s Dish Tip(s):
> Enjoy the natural sweetness of the dried fruits and apples while reducing added sugars! Cut out the brown sugar that is added before baking and sprinkled over the topping to serve. Better yet, eliminate the Honey-Mascarpone topping too. Your blood sugar and waistline will thank you

NOTE: Eliminating the brown sugar and honey from this recipe reduces each serving by ~16g (4 teaspoons) added sugar and over 60 calories. 1 Carb Choice = 15g carbs